I was recently contacted by a journalist who wanted to clarify how the trending Gen Z term “delulu” compared with the mental health term “delusional.” The former is clearly derived from the latter, but in yet another pop culture perversion of mental health terms, misunderstanding follows.

An online perusal of definitions of "delulu" unearthed information that it began in the K-Pop movement and indicated unrealistic relationship ideas fans harbored for their favorite K-Pop celebrities, and the term went viral on TikTok. A basic definition was noted in a 2023, USA Today article:

The slang "delulu" often describes a person being delusional about something or someone they are a fan of, such as an actor or musician…For example, they may be convinced they are going to marry their favorite musician because they made eye contact during a concert. The slang can also be used to describe a fan who acts out-of-the-ordinary or obsessively toward their preferred celebrity.

Similar to how “bipolar,” "schizophrenic" “ADHD” “OCD” have been adjectivized and thus misrepresented, leading some to even believe they or their friends have a mental illness based on a loose interpretation of a diagnosis if they get moody, distracted or are very organized, someone being called delulu is probably not actually suffering from a serious mental health complication.

First, a delusion is a fixed, false belief that’s held with conviction and has a pervasive, negative effect on a person's optimal functioning. Even in the face of solid evidence countering the belief, a truly delusional person is not about to see things otherwise. For instance, someone with a paranoid delusion about their spouse drugging them in their sleep and then leaving the house to have an affair might be shown blood tests that........

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